There are many inventions on toilet seats, most of them have to do with improving the sanitation and cleansing as well as the comfort of the user.
There are a few prior art inventions that devote their attention on enhancing the therapeutic effects of the device. One of these earlier patents is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,244,063 which describes a therapeutic toilet seat for helping to induce bowel movements comprising of a elongated buttock supporting member having a general curvature to overlie a portion of the toilet bowl upper surface with corresponding inner portion contoured concavely and outer portion contoured convexly to support the buttocks.
There is another invention found in Canadian Patent No. 2,231,420 also entitled “therapeutic toilet seat” which provides a different construction and design that is meant to cater for greater comfort of people with various health problems.
Another recent invention is found in US Application Publication No. 2002/0053103 entitled “Toilet seat with twin protrusions having an egg shape” to assist in easy evacuation of the user by massaging lower regions of the rectum in cyclic motions.
Yet another recent invention is found in US Application Publication No. 2004/0194197 Entitled “Toilet seat with therapeutic features” which is essentially a toilet seat which claims to be designed to enable the user to exert pressure on a specific group of muscles at the base of the coccyx to assist in evacuation.
Constipation is a common major problem in our life. Constipation is defined as problem with the following symptom or symptoms: —                (i) difficulty during defecation        (ii) consistency of stool        (iii) infrequency of defecation—less than 3 times per week        (iv) sensation of incomplete evacuation        
Formation of hard stools is one of the main causes of constipation. Hard stool formation is due to many factors, usually influenced by our eating habits and life style (busy schedule, stress, depression, etc.) and lack of intake of fibre and water.
Hard stool requires straining during defecation, which is one of the causes of hemorrhoids or piles and anal fissure due to the overstretching of the anal opening by hard stool. Anal fissure may complicate to more serious conditions like perianal abscess.
Straining is also bad for other medical conditions such as hernia, and rectal pro-lapse and also to heart and post operative patients. Besides it is also painful and a waste of time.
The process of defecation is initiated by pressure exerted on to the rectal wall by the faeces. It involves peristalsis of the rectum and relaxation of the anal sphincter, helped by voluntary increase of intra-abdominal pressure resulting from the contraction of abdominal wall muscles (straining). Faeces travel along the rectum by following the bony curvature of the sacrum and coccyx. Beyond which faeces push on the anococcygeal part of the pelvic floor which is practically unsupported, before it reaches the anus. When it is coming out of the anus, it stretches the anal opening, overstretches particularly the posterior quadrant (6 o'clock position) of the anus. This is the mechanism how hard stools lead to anal fissure. Defecation is routine and unavoidable, the same process of continuously repeated overstretching will prevent the healing of anal fissure which may complicate to other related problems above-mentioned.
That is why anal fissure often goes chronic and difficult to treat and almost always on 6 o'clock position of anus.
Conventional treatment ranges from conservative treatments to invasive operations.
Conservative treatments include increase fibre and water intake; encourage regular bowel habits, of which for many patients, compliance is a big problem.
Operative measures include: —
1. Forceful dilatation of the anal sphincter under general anaesthesia which may lead to faecal incontinence lasting possibly for a week or ten days.
2. Lateral anal sphincterotomy which involves the cutting of transverse fibres of the internal sphincter in the floor of fissure. After the operation, the wound is left open.
The after treatment comprises of attention to bowels, daily bath and dilatation of the anus by anal dilator until the wounds heal, which usually take about 3 weeks.
Whereas, in the prior art inventions particularly in U.S. Pat. No. 4,244,063 and more recently found in Canadian Patent No. 2,231,420 both providing for a recess, gap, split or an opening at the rear portion of the toilet seat which would provide greater comfort to those individuals which conditions of posterior region ailments including, for example, tailbone injuries, sciatica or lumbar problems and conditions, they do not address the problem of providing adequate support to the anococcygeal part of the pelvic floor which is the essential part requiring support to prevent straining and overstretching of the anus.
Although in U.S. Patent Application No. 2004/0194197 the invention professes to exert pressure on that specific group of muscles at the base of the coccyx, it would not be effective because it does not provide a gap or recess to accommodate the coccyx, while in use, the tip of coccyx and the invention will press upon each other causing discomfort and may also cause injury to the coccyx before the invention can provide effective pressure to the anoccocygeal part of the pelvic floor.